Song of the Sea
by Blackfan Diamond
Summary: Elizabeth is determined not to just sit and wait for Will for 10 years. She then decides to find herself a crew to sail across the world after the Flying Dutchman while it is in the World of the Living and discovers an amulet that will allow whoever possesses it to travel between worlds.


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PROLOGUE

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Elizabeth was staring at the bottom of the empty cup with an apathetic face. To be honest, that was the only expression she had had on her face for the past few months.

It had been easy at first to think everything would be okay. That she would be capable of waiting patiently for Will to come back to her.

But well, ten years are _ten years_.

On the first couple of days, she had her heart filled with hope, and a warm feeling that ran through her veins at the thought of him, of their love.

On the first week, she started to gaze at the chest, sleep next to it so she could hear his heartbeat next to her. So she could pretend he was actually there with her.

On the second week, her heart started to hurt.

She wasn't at Port Royal anymore, no. She had decided to start anew in a small town also close to the ocean. With the coin she had, she bought a small house near the shore, so she could stare at the ocean every day, deep down hoping to see the familiar ship approaching and the man she loved coming back to her.

But that never happened, and it wouldn't happen for the next 10 years.

 _Ten. Years_.

''More beer'' she demanded with a hard voice, hitting her cup on the wooden table with a stern face. A young lady, younger than Elizabeth, came in fast paces to her side and filled her cup. Elizabeth was wearing men clothes and an old hat, and the bar she was at was frequented mostly by men. She doubted anyone would recognize her there, so her reputation in town should be safe. At the same time, she would be able to take her dissatisfaction on the beer as much as she wanted.

Elizabeth was 22, she thought to herself. Next time she saw William she would be 32. Then 42, then 52, and that would probably be it. She doubted she'd live much longer than that. She would most likely only see him 3 more times in her life. Only three more times.

The beer tasted bitterly in her mouth.

Fate was indeed cruel.

Any optimistic thought she might have had on the first weeks alone in that town were long gone. After all, she was all alone. Her father was dead. Her husband was sailing between worlds. She had no friends at all, nor anyone she could actually talk to - if anyone found out about her past as a pirate she would definitely end up hanged. And the pirates she knew were somewhere in the sea, far from reach. She had no one, she was all by herself.

What was the meaning of her life?

Looking back at the past, she couldn't really understand how things ended up the way they did. Less than 4 years ago she was a wealthy young woman with a steady life. Then she was in a cursed ship, then joining piracy, then back to a monotonous life in town. Except it was a not-so-wealthy one this time. Her life had twisted in such a way that she still hadn't found time to swallow it all.

But one thing was certain: she missed her pirate life more than any other way of living she'd ever lived.

But then again, of what worth was that without Will?

She couldn't help getting angry at herself. When had she become so dependent on him? When had she fallen in love so deeply that anything done without him didn't sound worthy of being done at all?

Was this was loving was?

She swallowed the last drop of beer in her cup and rudely got up, leaving a few coins on the table before making her way out of the tavern with quick steps. She didn't stop until she was at the beach.

It was night already, probably past midnight. The wind blew violently and the waves were breaking wildly at the shore. She took off her boots and felt the cold sand beneath her feet, between the tip of her toes. The salty wind blowing on her face and bringing the smell of the sea, so different from the sickly smell of the town, that seemed to dig into everyone's skin and follow them wherever they went. The sea was different, and she couldn't help but to feel lighter with the soft wind on her skin.

Her heart ached again and her face hardened in response. She wasn't a woman of crying, that she wasn't.

But she thought that maybe just this once, in the silence of the night and the loneliness of the world she was living in, she could allow herself to cry.

No one would be there to listen to it, anyway. Not even Will.

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Another month passed, then another, then another. Until finally one year had passed since she had bid William farewell at the beach and watched the Flying Dutchman sail away.

She had learned to spend most of her time at the tavern. She would work during the morning and the afternoon - some inferior jobs she took just so she would have enough coin to live and to buy her beer, her only companion through long and lonely days - and spend her whole night drinking and watching the sea.

''I'm telling you, man, I'm broke'' the man sitting on the table behind her started to say. Another unfortunate soul complaining about his miserable life, she guessed ''And this time it's for real. I owe money to some very powerful men and it's only a matter of time until they come and get me''

''I told you not to lend so much money, you never listen'' scolded the other man

''The last thing I want to hear right now is an 'I told you so' '' the first one complained

''Well, I heard there's a man at the harbor recruiting men for his crew, they're setting sail in three days'' the other man replied ''why not join them? Just sail away from everything, leave this goddamn life behind''

Elizabeth couldn't pay attention to the conversation anymore. She grabbed her things, left a few coins at the table and made her way to her home.

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''I fear it's the collectors again'' Maisy, the young woman who worked with Elizabeth on Mondays whispered.

The collectors were people sent by the government to collect coin from the population when the city's bank was losing money. Elizabeth did her best not to spit on the ground in disgust. When her father was the Governor back in Port Royal, that never happened. She supposed things worked differently in a poorer town, when the only law was: there's no law. The ones who held power could do whatever they wanted. She wondered if they had already been at her house and if her door was still in place or if they had destroyed it to go inside and gather whatever money she might have earned during her long days working.

Once again, Elizabeth reminisced her days as a pirate, when she felt brave enough to stand her ground and defend her rights. When nothing could stand in the way between her and justice.

Now she felt only like a powerless lady, like the ones she used to mock in the past.

She had turned what she hated the most and she blamed herself every day for that.

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On the following day, while she wandered at the beach, she saw a group of men playing cards at the deck. Curious, because it didn't seem like any of the card games she'd ever seen sailors playing, she decided to come closer and watch.

''So the young lass is interested in the game?'' one of them said. He smiled maliciously at her, his voice telling her he lacked many of his teeth without Elizabeth needing to look at him.

''What is it called?'' she asked

''Garshack'' he replied ''Good one, Marshall! You filthy dog, won again!'' he celebrated, helping the man gather the coins he had just earned.

''I would like to play too'' she said, taking the place on the table Marshall had just left.

''Oh'' the men laughed ''the wench is daring'' one said ''very well, but do you have anything worthy to bet?''

''I can play all night'' she said, taking a small satchel and picking out some coins from it.

The men glanced at each other, astonished, then nodded.

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After losing eight rounds in a roll, it would be rational for Elizabeth to call it a day and stop playing, but there was something about garshack that kept her engaged in playing. As if she wanted to prove she still had her old pride by winning the game. She wanted to show her worth.

''I'll miss playing with you, lass'' the captain of the small ship, who had been playing the last few rounds with her, started ''I've won more money from you than from any of my lads''

''I'll still win that all back'' she promised him, giving him her best smirk.

He laughed lightly

''That's the spirit'' he praised ''but I'm afraid this will be our last round. The men and I must rest, we're setting sail in the morning'' he told her

''Where are you headed?''

He rubbed the hair on his neck

''We've some unfinished business to see to in some islands close from here and some not so close. With pirates sailing across the seas as they've been, it's not wise to stay too long at open sea, but what can a captain do?'' he chuckled ''my life's at the sea since my dear wife and beloved daughter passed away''

Elizabeth stood silent, empathetically.

''You're interested in the sea, lass?'' he asked

She shrugged

''I used to sail in the past'' she admitted, then added quickly ''with my papa. The old man will is missed dearly''

The captain nodded a few times

''It was the sea who took him from you?''

''A man'' she corrected ''the sea took away someone else I held dear''

His eyes grew sad, showing her he truly felt for her.

Elizabeth thought about it for a second and then realization struck her like a lightning.

Why was she to stay on land and wait for Will for 10 bloody years? That was an outrage. So while he was at the sea doing his job, sailing through the world, she was to sit and wait for him until he returned? Hell no. She was Elizabeth Swann, the Pirate Lord of the South China Sea and also Pirate King! She didn't belong in a small town sitting like an obedient wife who waits for her husband to come back home. _Oh no_. She was a pirate too, and she belonged in the sea. She belonged with William.

''But I'll find him'' she said with determination

The captain rose his head

''So this someone else is still alive?''

Elizabeth drank from the rum a man from the crew had brought her

''He is'' she said with determined eyes ''captain, please accept me in your crew''

The man examined her face for a while

''There are dangers at the sea, lass'' he warned her ''we're going much further than you and your father must have been to, this is real sailing''

But Elizabeth didn't even flinch

''I know what I want''

He drank some of his own rum

''This someone must be very special to you if you're ready to face dangers for him instead of staying at the shore, where it's safe''

''He means everything to me'' she said sharply ''He's everything I have left''

The captain still didn't sound convinced

''Let's do it like this. If I win this round, you'll let me be part of your crew. If I lose, you can take each and every coin I have left in my bag''

He smirked

''Bad deal, my darling'' he laid down his cards ''seems like I've won''

Elizabeth returned his smirk

''Seems like you didn't'' she showed him her cards, a perfect set.

The man cursed

''I must say, lass, you've got me this time'' he tapped his big belly a few times ''do notice, though, you won't be treated any lighter because you're a woman'' he warned her

''I never wished for that'' she smiled

The captain considered her face for a moment and then smiled, getting up and offering her his hand. She took it and shook it.

If Will couldn't come to her, she would go to him. And no one would stop her.

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Thank you for reading!

This is something my best friend and I came up with while chatting about the movies and I'm trying to write a story out of the idea we've had. I hope you like it so far!

Big hugs

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Blackfan Diamond


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